Beijing, February 15 (KCNA) -- Many areas of China have suffered from a long spell of dry weather. Beijing has had no rainfall and snowfall for 100 days.

The ongoing drought is said to be the worst in the country in 60 years.

Five million hectares of standing crops have been damaged by drought and two thirds of the towns are short of drinking water.

The Chinese government, as part of an emergency measure, has set up a 24-hour alert system in the drought-stricken areas, dispatched experts to the areas to grasp the damage situation every day and assisted their inhabitants.

The government is allocating as much as hundreds of millions of US dollars to coping with the drought and laying pipes extending several hundred kilometers to bring water to northern areas from the southern region.

China will reportedly double the budget for water reserve in ten years.